UN: Nearly 10,000 fleeing Sudan war to South Sudan a day

A policeman walks near tires set aflame by Sudanese protesters marking the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of Khartoum on June 3, 2020. [AFP]

Almost 10,000 people a day are fleeing Sudan's brutal civil war across the border to South Sudan, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, with daily arrivals having tripled in recent weeks.

Since April 2023 fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions more, triggering what the UN calls one of the world's worst displacement crises.

Many have fled to impoverished South Sudan, often at informal crossing points along the border between the two formerly unified states.

"More than 20,000 Sudanese from border villages crossed into South Sudan last week –- tripling the number of daily arrivals compared to previous weeks," Olga Sarrado, spokesperson for the UN's refugee agency, told a press conference at the UN in Geneva.

"Since Saturday, there have been an additional estimated 7,000 to 10,000 new arrivals each day," Sarrado said.

Most of those seeking shelter were women and children, she said, "underscoring the impact of the conflict on vulnerable populations."

Transit centres were overcrowded, she added, citing one near the town of Renk that was hosting 17,000 people -- 4,000 more than just two weeks ago.

The number also included South Sudanese refugees in Sudan returning to their home country in the wake of fresh fighting in border areas, she added.

Sudan's southern White Nile State is home to more than 400,000 South Sudanese refugees, as well as 650,000 Sudanese from other parts of the country displaced by the conflict, according to the UNHCR.

That region was previously seen as a safe haven from violence elsewhere in Sudan.

Sudan's civil war has displaced more than 12 million people, including over three million who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the UN.

The UNHCR spokesperson also said that "heightened tension" and military activity at the Joda border crossing -- one of the main transit points between the two countries -- was "deeply concerning".

Joda "serves as a vital lifeline for civilians fleeing violence and for humanitarian operations" on both sides of the border, Sarrado added, urging both sides to keep it open and secure.

South Sudan has struggled to find its footing since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, battling violence, endemic poverty and natural disasters.